Where's Winter?

It has been a very odd winter. It snowed a bit then it got warm then it rained then it got warmer (68 degrees on Christmas Eve day!) then it snowed a little again then it got cold (about 7 degrees, so not really cold) and now it’s warm and raining again. The other day I actually saw a forsythia bush blossoming! Sheesh. I wish the weather would make up its mind.

A little frosty

Just a bit of snow

The snow blower anxiously awaiting snow

Our house has a nice little fireplace. Unfortunately it has been rare to have a day cold enough this season to warrant a fire. There were a couple of cold evenings, though, when we could have a fire. There’s nothing like sitting in front of a glowing fireplace, watching the dancing flames, soaking up the heat. We’ve found a combination of pressed wood “logs” and actual wood make a nice balance of heat and flames.

So many pretty colors: oranges...

...purple and yellow...

...pinks and reds.

This fall my husband took down a couple of trees in the back yard to use for firewood. While it’s far too green to burn this year, it should be very nice for next winter. I grew up with a variety of wood-fueled heat sources. By the time the first snow fell, the cellar was filled with firewood. Row upon row would be stacked from floor to ceiling. I never cared for the creepy-crawlies that would come out of the wood, though the tiny pocket snake was rather cute. Still, I’m glad our home-cut firewood is stacked out in the garage.

The pile waiting for next year

Some nice cherry and locust wood

We finally put the bird feeder out for the season. Normally, we wait until there is snow on the ground but who knows when that’s going to be. The chickadees found the feeder within minutes. I love chickadees! Soon after that, a titmouse showed up. Mr. and Mrs. Cardinal now frequent the feeder along with a tiny wren. A small flock of finches stops by on occasion as well. I love watching the birds and it’s much easier to get photos of them when they come to you. Of course the bird seeds have also attracted Tubby McSquirrel and his friends but if I want to feed the birds, I have to host the squirrels as well.

A chickadee being tall

A titmouse and chickadee sharing the feeder

Squirrel!

It just doesn’t feel like winter without the snow. Sure, the wind is cold and the trees are bare but the grass is still oddly green. I enjoy the snow. That’s why I still live in New York State. I get tired of it after a while but it just doesn’t feel like winter without a white blanket over everything. The snow will come. I’m sure of that. Until then, I’ll just have to look back at pictures from winters when we lived on the mountain.

Looking back at winter in 2009 in the Adirondacks

Waiting for the Dirt

Things are finally moving along with the garden. We’ve finished up construction of the raised beds (there are now four 4-foot by 11-foot beds and four 2-foot by 11-foot) and got the gravel filled into the side paths. It’s really coming together now.

Finished garden beds

The real work will take place this weekend. The garden soil is scheduled to be delivered on Saturday. I expect it will take many hours and countless wheelbarrow loads to fill the beds with soil, peat moss, compost, and maple leaf mulch from last fall. I’m no stranger to a shovel but I know this is going to be a lot of work. I already warned my coworkers that I will probably be useless on Monday!

Raised beds waiting for soil

Once the soil is in place, I’m ready to plant. After quite a bit of consultation of gardening books, arranging, erasing and rearranging, I think I’ve finally come up with a layout for the garden. I have most of the seeds I want to plant and will be purchasing plants like tomatoes and peppers. I didn’t start any seeds early but I’ll probably try it next year. A majority of the seeds are left over from the small “surrogate” gardens I planted last year. With no space of my own, I worked garden beds at the museum at which I work and at my in-laws’ home. I’m really looking forward to having a nice, big garden of my own with all sorts of vegetables and herbs again.

Plotting and planning on my living room floor

The "final" garden plan

Once the garden beds are all filled and set, we’re going to have to get the fence in place. Last night, we watched two deer wander around our backyard. They are probably the young ones we saw when we first moved here. They are so used to life in the suburbs that they have very little fear of people. They’ve already nipped off some of the daylily leaves right next to my back porch as well as the newly sprouted hostas in front of the house. I fear it’s going to be a long battle against the deer. They are quite nice to watch, though. We’ve also been having a good time watching the rabbit that has been spending its evenings in our back yard. 

Bunny!